The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

One of Alfred Hitchcock's many good British films of the '30s, the 1934 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much has been eclipsed by the remake, which had more star power (James Stewart and Doris Day) and "Que Sera, Sera." But I found the original much better, mostly due to the delicious performance by Peter Lorre.

The basic plot is the same as in the remake: a couple (this time a British one, played by Leslie Banks and Edna Best) are on vacation. A man dies, but gives one of them a key piece of information about an assassination that will happen. Their child (Nova Pilbeam--what a great name) is kidnapped, and the couple are told to keep their mouths shut or they will never see her again.

What makes this film better than the remake is not only Lorre, who makes the most charming villain, but it's efficiency. I wrote that the 1956 version felt too long, but this one packs a whole plot into an hour and a quarter and I didn't feel like I missed anything. The scene in Albert Hall, where the sharpshooter is set to shoot on a crash of cymbals, is terrifically done. The bad guys are holed up in a church, as in the remake, with a spooky woman watching over the child. As usual with Hitchcock, the political beliefs of the crooks are not known. Are they Nazis? Perhaps, but Hitchcock gives no clues.

The big difference between films is the ending. In this version, it's a prolonged shootout with police (since British cops don't carry guns, they have to import rifles from a local gun shop). Also, Best is a sharpshooter as well, and gets to plug the man holding her daughter hostage.

Along with The 39 Steps and Saboteur, this is an example of Hitchcock at his finest, without the money and hoo-hah of Hollywood. He may have thought he was an amateur, but I beg to differ. These films are the work of a pro.